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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Braves serious about Japanese pitcher
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dana Point, Calif. — While Braves officials continue their pursuit of Jake Peavy, they’re also moving forward on other pitching fronts. Namely one on the other side of the Pacific Rim.
I’m told the Braves have already offered a major league contract to Junichi Tazawa, the Japanese right-hander who’s drawn serious interest from Boston, Seattle and possibly the Cubs and Marlins.
Meanwhile, Mike Hampton’s agent, Mark Rodgers, is here at the GM meetings talking to the Braves and other teams about the injury-plagued veteran left-hander whose stock rose sharply with his second-half performance for Atlanta.
The Braves have exclusive negotiating rights to Hampton for the 15-day period that began the day after the World Series ended, but other teams are free to talk to his representative and express their interest, and believe me, teams frequently break that rule and talk financial terms during that period.
As for Tazawa, you might be saying, why would the 22-year-old free agent choose the Braves over, say, the Red Sox, where his countryman Daisuke “Dice-K” Matsuzaka has thrived and been embraced by Red Sox Nation?
Glad you asked.
That major league contract is one potential big reason. It’s unclear whether other teams were inclined to give him a major league contract, and if they don’t it would be a big plus in the Braves’ corner.
Major league contracts are guaranteed and come with a place on the 40-man roster, and Tazawa would probably have a much better chance of pitching in the majors next season if he signs a major league deal rather than a minor league or split contract with different salaries for time spent in the majors or minors.
Seattle is scheduled to meet with Tazawa during the Japanese Industrial League championship series that starts Nov. 13. It’s unclear when the Red Sox and other teams might meet with him or offer contracts.
The Red Sox had reportedly been the most aggressive team with Tazawa, but this major league offer by the Braves might have changed that perception. Unless the Red Sox have already made an offer that’s been kept secret, which seems unlikely given the veracity with which the Japanese media has covered developments in this story.
One major league team official told me today that Tazawa is comparable to Tim Hudson, but with a better curveball. He was described as a “battler” who has a mid-90s fastball, a split-finger pitch and a big, old-school 12-to-6 curveball (that’s a term that refers to the big downward break of the pitch, as in the 12 and 6 o’clock positions on a clock).
Tazawa’s an unusual case in that he pitched for a company team in Japan and made it known that he didn’t want to be drafted by a Japanese professional team because he wanted to go pitch in the United States, in the majors.
All 12 Japanese pro teams passed on him and now he’ll get his wish, apparently. Next stop, American spring training. But will it be at Dark Star with the Braves, or perhaps Fort Myers with the Sox?
I’m still trying to find out how much the Braves have offered Tazawa, but I’m told by one person familiar with Japanese baseball that was probably comparable to what a high first-round draft pick might get. Of that, I’m just not sure.
Suffice to say, if the Braves could pull off a trade for Peavy and sign Tazawa, they would be off to a rousing start to their offseason. But those are two big “ifs.”
Personally, I still believe the Braves are favorites to land Peavy. Can’t say the same thing about the Japanese pitcher, because I’m just not familiar enough with the situation.
Seems to me that if the Red Sox want him Tazawa bad enough, they’ll have to offer a major league contract now, and they could certainly raise the price if they so desire.
The same can’t be said for Peavy, because a big wallet isn’t going to help land the Padres’ ace. Young talent is going to do that trick. Might be just a matter of whether the Braves are willing to give up shortstop Yunel Escobar and a couple of prospects not named Hanson and Heyward.
Best of a generation: To me there’s little room for debate. Greg Maddux is the best pitcher in a generation, and certainly belongs in the discussion for best pitcher of the past 50 years. Roger Clemens is really the only guy you can mention in his class in the past 25 years, and there is a bit of a stain on Roger’s record, in the eyes of many.
We bring this up because agent Scott Boras announced yesterday that Maddux is leaning strongly toward retiring. Mad Dog, with his four Cy Young Awards and 355 wins and peerless consistency, is apparently ready to ride off into the sunset, though he could undoubtedly get another contract and pick up another 10 wins or so for a decent team with some run support.
Hey, when you’re a mortal-lock first-ballot Hall of Famer in your early 40s, what’s the point? Nothing more to prove.
So what do you guys think? Is he the best of the generation? I mean, several other pitchers had three- or five-year stretches where they were the best in the game, including Pedro, Randy, Johan. But I’m talking about an entire career. Only Clemens has the stats to compare with Maddux.
If he retires he’ll go in the Hall in five years. So here’s the other question: Is there a chance that one of the former Braves Big Three could go in with him?
It’s pretty clear that Smoltz plans to pitch again next season, and the Braves will sign him if he can make it back from shoulder surgery.
But what about Tom Glavine? He’s coming back from shoulder and elbow surgeries, and while he’s progressing, he isn’t throwing yet and hasn’t decided if he’ll pitch again. If he retires, his 300 wins probably assures Glavine of first-ballot Hall election, too.
I asked Glavine this morning, via e-mail, if he’d talked to his pal Maddux recently or had heard that Boras said he’s leaning toward retirement.
“I Hadn’t heard about Greg,” he replied in an e-mail. “It will be interesting to see what he does.”
And how’s Glavine doing?
“I am doing well,” he wrote. “Rehab 3 days a week. I haven’t started throwing yet, probably around Christmas. I feel good about the way things have gone, but won’t really know until I start throwing. I hope things go well and I can play next year, but really have to wait and see.”
“HEART & MIND” by The Clash
My mind say stop, my heart say go
My heart say kill, my mind say no
I don’t know, which way should I choose?
Well I know a man, he’s my friend
But he steals from a family of friends
But I could never tell that man good-bye
I got a heart, I got a mind
But I can’t keep them in time
I got a heart, I got a mind
But I can’t keep them in time
It’s the same for everyone
Stuck between the right and wrong
But you just gonna tell you which way
Someone comes, and someone kills
Someone chews a lot of pills
But you can put your self up to say so
You got a heart, you got a mind
But you can’t keep them in time
You got a hea-ar-art, you got a mind
But you can’t keep them in time
If only I could keep my heart and mind i tact
But sometimes someone’s wise,
Sometimes I want _
I got a heart, I got a mind
But I can’t tell love apart
I got a heart, I got a mind
But I can’t tell love apart
Hea-ar-ar-ar-art, I got a mi-i-i-i-ind
But I ca-a-a-a-an’t keep them in time
I got a hea-ar-ar-ar-art, I got a mi-i-i-i-ind
But I ca-a-a-a-an’t tell love apart
It’s very difficult
We got the keys
To your heart
I got the keys, keys
To your heart, heart
And I got ‘em
On my chain, on my chain
I got the keys
To your heart, heart
And I got ‘em
On my chain, on my chain
I got the keys, keys
To your heart, heart
And I got ‘em
On my chain, on my chain
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